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Wednesday, 21 December 2011

‘Twelve Days’ day 12: sweet chestnut pancakes with cranberry compote

It’s come around at last…day ‘12’ is here!

So that must also mean that Christmas is just around the
corner. (*super excited face*)

However, I must make one small apology….

When I announced my ‘12 days’I also mentioned throwing a few savoury recipes in too….hmmm not so
much! It wasn’t planned that way, it was simply that cake overwhelmed me and I got
a little carried away. Oh well. There are worse things than cake and it is the
name of this blog after all!

I will try to make it up to you little in the last few
days before Christmas, as I am planning on a savoury round up- a ‘buffet bites’
type post if you like to give a little boost of inspiration to carry you
through the Christmas period. I for one need a bit of a savoury kick- the
amount of cake, cookie, frosting and pancake testing I’ve had to do in these
last few weeks…it’s a hard life!!

So here you have it- the recipe for today. The perfect
Christmas pancake brunch, sweet chestnut pancakes with a cranberry compote. Sweetly
spiced and fruity, the perfect warming start to Christmas morning.

I bought my chestnut puree in a can in the local
supermarket, I would assume this is readily available wherever you are- if not I
guess you could blend your own (but that is just a guess!) or you could try an
alternative pancake recipe along the lines of thisblueberry pancake recipe, I imagine this would work just as well substituting
the blueberries for cranberries and adding some Christmassy spices.

Recipe:
sweet chestnut pancakes with cranberry compote

Ingredients

Pancakes:

1/3 cup mix of wholemeal spelt flour

1 tbs ground flax plus 2 tbs hot water

1/3 cup chestnut puree

¾ tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tbs agave (omit if you prefer
a more savoury pancake base)

Approx. ½ cup soy milk (or milk of choice) use more or
less to achieve a batter that pours thickly.

Topping:

2 large handfuls fresh cranberries

1 tbs rapadura

4 tbs water

Soy yogurt (or others yoghurt/cream)

Maple syrup

Cinnamon

Makes approx. 4 pancakes to feed one or two (feel free to
double, quadruple of whatever multiples you need to feed the crowds!)

Method

To make the
cranberry compote, add the fresh cranberries to a small sauce pan along with
the rapadura and water. Simmer and stir ever minute or so for approx. 10 mins.

Meanwhile to
make the pancakes, mix the flax with the hot water an set aside to gel for a
couple of minutes. Mix the chestnut puree, soy milk, agave and vanilla in a small
bowl then add the flax mix. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl then
add the wet and mix to get a thick but smooth batter. Spoon large dollops on a
lightly oiled hot frying pan and fry till golden for a minute or so each side.

Serve topped
with soy yoghurt and cranberry compote along with maple syrup and a dusting of
cinnamon as desired.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.